Spiffy:

Iffy:

Graphical presentation is a little bareboned.

For many, playing a game about war in the Star Wars universe is much more compelling than playing a game about war set on Earth. Unfortunately for these people, a whole bunch of good online shooters exist that re-create wars that really happened, but exactly zero exist that do the same for Star Wars. This is precisely the problem that Lucasarts and Pandemic hope to alleviate with Star Wars Battlefront. I got to spend some time with the game at a press event hosted by Lucasarts today, and I feel it safe to say that this particular world problem is in good hands.

The concept can be encapsulated as follows: Star Wars meets Battlefield 1942. Huge maps, tons of players (16 total, plus A.I., for the console version), many roles to take on in battle, and fleets of vehicles combine to re-create the madness and brutality of intergalactic war, and the experience looks like it's going to be addictive. While not a whole lot has changed since we last saw the game, we did get to see maps from two new planets -- Tatooine and Renvar -- as well as experience one of the game's cooler single-player modes called "Historic Campaign."

As you would imagine, things can get pretty crazy on the godforsaken backwater planet like Tatooine. The first map we saw based there was of the sprawling, wide-open variety -- the kind in which players are encouraged to hop on vehicles upon spawning and speeding off to the areas of contest. The kink in this map, however, came in the form of Sand People. Dozens of them, all hungry for blood. Conveniently situated on the center of the map, the Sand People attacked anyone who came their way, Rebel or Imperial, and they did it with unmatched gusto. Three forces clashing in the center of a relatively open map equals some intense moments, and when you factor in vehicles -- AT ST walkers, repulsorlift desert skiffs, TIE fighters, Rebel Tanks, etc. -- the potential for mayhem is quite enticing.

The second Tatooine map we saw was set in urban Mos Eisley. This meant tighter environs, more use of grenades, and the potential for an explosive death around every corner. Dark Troopers -- essentially, elite Stormtroopers with jetpacks and shotgun-like blasters -- were used to great effect on this map. Their weapons made it easy to decimate tightly packed Rebel squads with relative ease, and their peerless mobility made navigating the confining streets and alleyways that much easier.

Next up was Renvar. The map we fought on centered around the crypt of a dead Jedi master, and bled outwards to the citadel that contained it. There's more in the way of tricky navigation on this map, as you're forced to find paths throughout the ruined, multileveled structure. Here again, the jetpack-equipped Dark Troopers were clearly useful in this map, able as they were to clear much of the environment's razed geometry with a quick burst. One significant feature of this map was that there were no vehicles available -- it's all about your own two legs.